Miranda Days - DU Beat and The Geography of Grief

A's article for DU Beat - The Geography of Grief

And Another Concert of an Old Favourite - Def Leppard

I gave some kind of an intro to my history with Def Leppard which goes back some 40 years in my earlier blog. The concert was at NICE grounds which is at the other end of the city - a good two hour drive or a 90 minute Metro ride. 

My three nephews Abhi, Shrinjay and Shashank decided we'll drive and it took us exactly 2 hours 7 minutes to hit the parking lot at NICE. Parking was organised enough and we quickly entered our designated Gold space and found some place to stand and sway.

Thermal and a Quarter was opening for Def Leppard - the group so named because it has three Malayalis and one quarter Malayali - and it was celebrating its thirty years in existence. I loved their numbers, their political statements, and their energy. The nephews made visits to get food and drinks.

A half hour break during which it threatened to rain and then the 1977  band from Sheffield in England - 'Def Leppard' came on stage. An ageing Joe Elliot, Rick Savage, the ever smiling Rick Allen, and others came on and sang. Some of the numbers went by without me knowing them but the ones i knew we had fun singing along etc. 

'Animal', 'Foolin', 'Rocket', 'Love Bites', ''Armageddon It', 'Rock of Ages', 'Two Steps Behind' came along with some songs I was not too familiar with and ended with 'Hysteria' and finally 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. They played visuals of the group playing in their younger days and they looked so young and so good. But you got to hand it over to them - to still come and sing to an audience that they are only connected through music work all their heart and soul.

The crowd was elderly, people trying to relive their memories like me. a smattering of slightly younger lot who had perhaps heard these numbers and very few teenager types. Families came, old friends gangs (one raucous old gang of men, college gang perhaps, in front of us raising hell), people swayed, danced, women dresses in hippie like 60s fashions and not the clothes of today's turn. No singular magic moment, but lots of good memories. It was too loud and I could not hear myself at all. I borrowed ear buds from the ever resourceful Abhi and tried to limit the damage to my poor ears.

Overall I was glad I went. I enjoyed listening to all the old hits. Then we headed out even as the band played 'Pour Some Sugar on Me'. The return journey took two hours again.

Def Leppard in Bengaluru

There was this time during college days in the mid 80s that I took a liking to this group called Def Leopard. I enjoyed listening to Hysteria and then bought Pyromania. Hysteria always made my slow rock playlists and was one for those long drives. 

So when Abhi, my nephew, called from Bangalore to say that Def Leppard was playing, i jumped at the opportunity. So here I'm, going to the concert with my nephews Shrinjay and Shashank and Abhishek.

Who would i have thought I'd be listening to them live one day. Of course my friend George wasn't so kind - help them in to the stage - he said. 

Looking forward.

Flowers of Delhi

Delhi has these beautiful gardens and flowers, wide open spaces, many parks, all of them aesthetically landscaped and well maintained. 

Just a sample. 

Laughter Channel - Krishna at it Again

One more gem from Krishna that had me laughing out loud. Thank you Krishna.

Indians are the ultimate experts on appearance. They are these ultra-sophisticated, precision- tuned, super-sensitive instruments built to detect the tiniest change in your exterior from twenty paces, and bring it to your notice, unsolicited, at the first available opportunity. At parties, banks, restrooms, potti kadais and funerals (sometimes your own), the average Indian’s appearance-analysis antenna is always working, twitching to pick up perceived changes in compatriots, and transfer info thereof to his filter-free mouth to be disseminated to the drive-by victim with no time-lag whatsoever. They range from: You seem to have put on weight. You seem to have lost weight. You seem to have regained your lost weight. You seem to have lost your regained weight. to You have gained colour. You have lost colour. (I have never known which of these is complimentary. Because ‘white’ is the preferred colour, as we know. But does one get ‘whiter’ by gaining colour or losing colour? Because, white, technically, is the absence of colour.) You seem to have lost some hair (to men). You seem to have gained some hair (to women). You seem to have aged (to someone they haven’t seen for twenty-eight years). I have a list of these guys. They are all repeat offenders. Here are responses you can expect from me if I catch any of you saying anything about anyone’s appearance in my presence: Your loins seem to have sagged a bit. Why didn’t you bring your chin along today? You look so much like your father when he was being cremated. You seem to be wearing your dandruff a little differently these days. So cool of you to go bra-less, man. Your paunch seems to have a double-chin. Nice to see you’ve extended your bald patch evenly over your head. Your mouth smells different. I like that whole asymmetrical-butt-cheeks thing you’ve got going. Are you wearing those trousers ironically? Your wedgie seems to have deepened since I last saw you. Can you move your nose a bit so I can see your face? (From the archives)

Laughter Channel - Things by Krishna

Realised I needed a place where I can collect stuff that made me laugh out loud after reading Krishna's post on 'Things'. Krishna Shastri Devulapalli is one of my favourite funny writers who always makes me laugh so I'll post his stuff generously here along with other funny stuff. 

This one is from Krishna's archives. 

...

Krishna Shastri Devulapalli on fb

‎....

‘The God of Small Things’, ‘Things to Leave

Behind’, ‘Not Only The Things That Have

Happened', 'Things We Lost In The Fire', 'The

Book of Everlasting Things' ... hmmm?

I think I have stumbled on the formula for

instant literary recognition.

My book has to have 'Things' in the title,

dammit.

Conducting a poll here on what my next book

should be called if it has to win an award.

And as per NCERT guidelines, obviously, it will

be poignant, lyrically told in achingly beautiful

prose, and will deal with loss and redemption.

Things I Need To Take for the Things On My

Behind

Things I Didn't Say For Fear of Getting Kicked In My Things

The Things That Happen When I Take Those

Small Blue Things

Go, Get That ... This Thing, No?

Not Only This Thing But That Other Thing Also

Things I Said When I Thought You Weren't

Listening

The Very Things To Avoid When Things are Thinging

Thinging In The Rain

When The Small Thing Doesn't Become A Big Thing

The Things We Say When That Big Thing Is Pointed At Our Behind Thing

A Thing of Beauty Is An AI Thing

Things I Did With My Thing and That Other Thing

The Things I Pretend Happened While At Lit Fest Things

The This Thing Of The That Thing

Things To Remember While Mookuthing

And my Telugu masterpiece -- Thingari

Sachchinodi Panikirani Things

(From the archives)

...

Made me laugh each time. Krishnaaaaaa, brilliant.

Death in Summer - William Trevor

Vinod gave 'The Love Department' which i loved so I checked on William Trevor and found that this book was among his finest. And Vinod bhai had it so I borrowed it. It's a beautiful read.

The book starts with the death of Letitia, wife of Thaddeus, in a bike accident, leaving behind an infant child. The husband and his mother in law, look around for nannies and several apply, none being suitable. However one of the nannies, Pettie, who is a wild one owing to her abuse in her childhood in a home for the homeless, takes a fancy to Thaddeus and imagines herself taking care of him and his infant. She is assisted in her endeavours by one of the boys who was also in the home, Albert, who keeps an eye on her and tries to keep her out of trouble, kind hearted as he is.

Thaddeus does not love Letitia. However he has inherited a huge estate and spends his time living off the produce of the estate until rich and generous Letitia marries him. So generous is she that when she finds a letter written to her husband by an old lover, Mrs ferry, of his seeking financial help for her medial condition, she offers her money. Mrs Ferry however dies despite the help Thaddeus provides.

Pettie, in her obsession for Thaddeus's love, decides to take away the object of his affection, the infant child and kidnaps her. She is seen by a couple of kids, panics, leaves the child in the ruins of the home of homeless where she grew and disappears. The police arrive, investigate, and soon, Albert arrives with the baby, saying that he got a note about its whereabouts. Pettie dies too, somehow ends up in the rubble of the home, which is demolished. Albert tries to tell the Thaddeus family that Pettie did not mean to harm anyone and all she was looking for was love. To meet her love Thaddeus, she spends all her fare, by travelling twice to their residence.

It's tragic in so many ways and one feels for Pettie and Albert as much as one feels for Thaddeus and Letitia and Mrs Ferry. William Trevor fills in so many details that you get lost in the world while he slips in a dramatic twist - much like life does. Fabulous writing, lovely characters, unforgettable story.       

Acts of Love - Moments at Sunrise

Shared moments at Hussain Sagar at sunrise. Acts of Love. And stories that lie underneath. 

Two friends sharing a special moment

And hope arises with the new day. 

A young couple - a memorable moment shared 
 

Two friends again - looking into the future and what it holds for them

Will they come back here again after ten years or twenty? It would be nice if they would.

Two friends the girls - and a stranger helping

The two girls are friend and they caught hold of this boy to take their pictures or videos and he did it with complete commitment. And once again one wants them to retain the same love for each other, after twenty years or more.

Boy waiting for the sunrise 

 Alone. And the dog jumps in for company. But he is a disciplined kid who was doing push ups and other exercises, who has the will to get up and watch the sunrise alone by himself. He will do well.  

 

There's autumn where life sheds the past. And there's greenery and new leaves, giving hope and promising the new. The cycle continues - we rise and fall, we fall and rise. And death awaits all. Until then, breathe and enjoy the life the good God's given. It's a beautiful life full of sunrises, friends, lovers, helpful strangers, friendly dogs, fallen leaves, new leaves, clouds, breeze. Ah, breathe in the love!
 

Lovely.

Hyderabad by Walk - Darul-Shifa to Mir Alam Mandi

Tanya announced a heritage walk from Dar-ul-Shifa to Mir Alam Mandi, with focus on the City Planning from Qutb Shahi era to the Nizam era. My usual walk partners were busy so I went alone.

Aza Khana-e-Zehra Ashurkhana (1930)

The old Municipal Office (MCH) now slowly fading away into history

The walk would begin at Aza Khana -E- Zehra, an Ashurkhana of great beauty with high ceilings and beautiful interiors (built by the VIIth Nizam in 1930 in memory of his beloved mother Zehra to whom he was very attached), onwards to Darul Shifa, the Ashurkhana in Darul Shifa, to the Jillukhana darwaza of Purani Haveli, to Munshi Naan, to Inayat Jung deodi, to this chai joint, to Mir Alam Mandi.

Darul Shifa entrance - us entering

Abbas Union FC

Ok, let me begin at the beginning. The walk was scheduled early at 730 which suited me fine because it is easy to drive at that time with no traffic, easy to park in that part of town, and its not too hot and we wind up in time for breakfast. Anyway we met at Aza Khana e Zehra - Sushil, Sahil, Razzak were waiting. I parked in the gully next to the Ashurkhana and sent up a prayer that no traffic cops would be on the prowl at the early hour. Tanya joined us with Kaushal, her genial friend from Haldwani, and soon we got everyone in, some 10 of us, and got going. As always Tanya shared well designed post cards with pictures and a lot of information packed into them about the places we were visiting (with maps of that era).

Symbols on the walls of Darul Shifa

The Thinking Man Made of Scrap - Creativity is possible anyplace, anywhere

The Aza Khana-e-Zehra was shut due to the early hour but that did not stop us from admiring it from the outside - its right next to Salar Jung Museum. In the inside are high ceilings, a huge prayer hall with lovely windows, jaalis, carpets and other beautiful stuff which I saw in another walk. Across the road was the Municipal Office which was spread over 6000 sq mtrs now on the way to oblivion as it gives up its life for the Metro Line. its a very interesting structure - rather European and quite quaint. I always used to wonder what this building was and thanks to Tanya, the mystery is unravelled. She also said it used to sell railway tickets at one corner. The MCH moved out in 1986 to its new office near Tank Bund.

An old building now a PHC

Munshi Naans basking in the sunlight

A little further on the right was the Darul Shifa, or House of Healing, a Qutb Shahi era hospital or rather, house of healing built in 1595 CE during the reign of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (the founder of Hyderabad), which no longer serves the purpose. In its heyday it apparently was the place where medicine men from all over the world would come to treat patients who were treated free of charge. However its premises hosts a few lovely Ashurkhanas which I saw before so didn't venture into. One of the Ashurkhanas has the Sartauq Alam, a steel standard on which is fixed a piece of the fetters of the fourth Imam of Shia Musalims, Hazat Zainul Abideen. As Ashurkhanas are places of mourning and worship for Shias, one could see posters condemning the death of Iranian leader Ayotollah Khameini. Inside we checked some of the old signs and designs on the Qutb Shahi buildings. Quite interesting.

The Jillukhana Entrance of the Purani Haveli

The ground in front of Darul Shifa is the home ground of the oldest football club in Hyderabad, Abbas Union FC, which is coached by former player and Dhyan Chand awardee Mr Shabbir Ali. I heard that the ground will soon turn into a Metro Station making play grounds even rarer and distant for young kids. How many prospective footballers' destinies would change with that one decision is food for thought. 

Nawab Inayat Jung Deodi

Onwards towards the chowk where Munshi Naan used to be but has since shifted since it was bang in the Metro Line. We stopped at an old office of some sort which has now been converted into a PHC or the Ayush variety. A short walk and we found Munshi Naan - they were busy making fresh naans and we all got a few and ate some pieces of that delicious bread Tanya ordered for us. A customer who had just picked up some naan told us some nice things about Munshi Naan and went on his way. Nothing better than a customer referral.

Approach to the Mir Alam Mandi

Mahankaleshwara temple

Our next stop was at the yellow gate of the Jillukhana of the Purani Haveli which is where the decked up elephant comes on Muharram days and gets garlanded by the Kotwal of the city to this day. It is an impressive gate which we missed during several walks. The road opposite the gate leads directly to Chatta Kaman which is an over bridge that the Salar Jungs used to cross over to the gardens and guest house area closer to the Musi river. And if you go further, Hotel Nayaab, Madina, Shadab and Pathergatti. Now to give us a perspective of how large the Diwan Deodi was - the main gate of the Diwan Deodi starts from near Hotel Madina and spreads across to the entire area that includes the Salar Jung Museum which was where the famous Lakkad Kot of the Salar Jungs was located. Tanya said there was a stepwell and a mosque of that era still in the Salar Jung Museum premises - should check that out. Gardens, an opulent Deodi that stretched right till the Mir Alam Mandi.

Mir Alam Mandi Kaman

Kaushal Admiring the Gate- Impressive

We walked a bit more, turned left and stopped at this place for chai and moved on, past the Inayat Jung Deodi which is quite prominent on the main road. Further down and we turned right into the Mir Alam Mandi road, walked past a huge temple, right up to the gate of the Mandi which was again, high enough for elephants to pass. Inside the gate is a busy 200 year old Mandi, one of the oldest and largest markets in Hyderabad, spread over 5 acres and hosting about 300 vendors, brought into existence by Mir Alam in 1804. The kaman itself is of great historical value and the pictures of the old kaman look very different from what it is now - the entire place is under restoration.

Mir Alam Mandi

The Kaman

Now, Mir Alam was the Prime Minister to the third Nizam Skiandar Jah (1804-1808) and it was he who began construction of the Salar Jung Deodi on the bank of the Musi. He was the great grandfather of Salar Jung I who served as Diwan when the sixth Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan took the throne when he was a mere 6 year old and guided him through teh years of growing British dominance. The Salar Jung family gave five Prime Ministers or Diwans to the Nizams and naturally the Diwan Deodi was a seat of power. 

Map of the Diwan Deodi (courtesy Tanya)

Mir Alam lived in tumultous times with interesting contemporaries such as the mercurial Raja Chandu Lal, James Kirkpatrick (the white Mughal), Mah Laqa Bai Chanda etc. Mostly famous for leading Hyderabad's charge with the British East India Company against Tipu Sultan, a mission that ended successfully, he appears to have been instrumental in the construction of the mandi adjacent to his deodi. The Mir Alam tank which is seen as an architectural wonder of those years is named after him.

Entrance to an old Deodi - stories everywhere

Old man with his oranges

The walk ended there so I had to walk back to the car. Zubair was heading to Abids so I offered him a ride since I was going to Paradise. We walked back, took a detour to see the old Kotwal building, bought a couple of oranges from a really old seller who went through the practice of sorting oranges, picked the worst, and gave them to me, which I promptly gave off to another really old beggar at Paradise.  Me, I am just the medium. 

A group pic by Sushil

Good walk, full of good humour, energy and information and food and chai, well led by Tanya who is always full of good cheer, good information and enthusiasm. Interestingly this was an all men group, which was a first, and Tanya led the group with her customary ease and grace and thoughtfulness. Thanks Tanya.                 

Miranda Days - Music Competition and a 3rd Prize

This effort by Orpheus got them the third prize, quite an energetic performance. A does the sound check and the intro at the beginning.

Miranda Days - Another Music Competition

So there was this music competition at Kirorimal and the Acapella group of which A is a part, participated. Here goes.

Thought for the Day - 5 Things I Believe About Love

An interesting question asked by someone who read 'If You Love Someone' - tell me five things you believe about love. And five things why you wrote 'If You Love Someone'.

Five things I believe about love

1) That love is not about possession, it is about seeing the person you love grow to their highest potential, do what they love doing, and being supportive about it. (And in that process, if required, giving up what may be best for you - for the person you love.)

2) Love is selfless, about placing the other person ahead of you, thinking for them, being thoughtful in every way - to me thoughtfulness is the best expression of love

3) Love is sacred, inviolable, it is about respect, gentleness, care, understanding

4) Love is about actions (not flowery words or empty, grand gestures), about promises kept, about showing up, about being there so that the other person knows you are there for them, egging them on, even if you do not subscribe to their choices

5) Love is about giving yourself up wholeheartedly, and if circumstances demand it, giving up your life for the person you love if its best for them

Five reasons for writing 'If You love Someone'

1) To explore the idea of love as I understand it - that Aditya can give up what he knows is the greatest love he can ever hope to find, giving up the one person who totally gets him because he feels it is in her best interest - (and in doing so gives up a chance to heal himself - he chooses the harder route)

2) To explore the idea that a man and a woman can share such love - platonic, innocent and divine – with great understanding, compassion, love - something which most people do not seem to find in most relationships.

3) The idea that a man and a woman can trust their bond/love enough to give it all up for thirty years - to explore and grow as individuals - a grand, naive experiment that can go completely wrong and turn into a lifelong regret, or give a great reward of having explored each other's destinies fully without burdening each other

4) To explore the idea that women tend to lose themselves in their marriages and are rarely allowed to fulfill their potential unless the husband separates, or dies (the number of women who do justice to their potential after separating is evidence). Meghna falls into the trap, gives up her job to help her husband and finds herself regretting it. And while there, to inspire a thought for women, to keep themselves first and not get subsumed or lost in unsupported, unfulfilling relationships and marriages.

5) To explore the idea that a man and a woman can meet as adults - at fifty - without judgment, social conditioning, just as friends who share something beautiful between themselves. When asked by her husband if she will return, Meghna is forced to give an honest answer and she says - 'I don't know'. In a perfect world she need not wait for Pankaj to die to claim her life or freedom, and she can retain her choice of coming back or not, without guilt, shame or judgment.

...

Good questions. And it felt good to revisit a project, I cherished.

And Music Comes Back Big Time - Titanium

It's been a long time since a song took me over like this - remember 'Danger Zone' that I played on repeat for days on end, 'I'd die without you', 'Somewhere I belong', 'Something about you', 'Sairaat', 'Zehnaseeb', 'Manmarziyan'...ah so many. And then I hit upon this song which I heard before but on Anjali's playlist and it stuck - all day. Loud, sing along, groove along stuff. Shout aloud in your car stuff.

And loved the lyrics too. Powerful stuff. Empowering stuff. Freeing stuff.

Fire away, fire away

Shoot me down but I get up

I'm bullet proof, nothing to lose

You shoot me down but I won't fall

Ricochet, you take your aim

You shoot me down but I won't fall 

I am Titanium

 

Thought for the Day - The Old Fades, The New Comes In Afresh

That life is dynamic is what we all know. The best way to live it is to love each moment as a new one. To be grateful to everything that the new brings in. 

The way to a life of pain is to want anything to be as it is. People change, circumstances change. Friends die, family does, relationships die. What can make life painful is wanting things to be the same. What was good yesterday may not be good anymore today. If we look back it will hurt. 

The way to live life as joyfully as before, as one can remember, is to shed the past behind and to embrace the new that comes in. And it will because nature abhors a vacuum.

Clear up space inside. There will be those from the past who will approach you with the same warmth and love. And there will be those who are new who will do the same. When we remove the decaying parts that are inside, we create space for the new.

Stop looking behind. Look ahead. There's a whole life ahead of you. Of the new. The old fades like a jaded photo. The new comes in like a garden of freshly bloomed flowers. 

Open your arms and take it all in.

Acts of Love - Siblings

 My favorite series - of children - friends or siblings. Such innocence and love. I saw these two walking by, the sister all serious, bothered by something and the older brother having a protective arm around her. Good to have brothers like him!

 Stay like that kids. Don't grow up.

Hyderabad by Walk - Ramzan Walk at Mallepally

 I have been waiting for this walk for a long time and I was glad I could make it - else I would have to wait out another year. Deccan Archives organised the walk - scheduled for 9 pm to 1130 pm. Meeting point was Subhan Bakery which was as crowded as it can get. Despite the late hour and the traffic it was a pretty decent crowd that showed up. From Deccan Archives there was Fatima who was leading the walk, with Dheeraj and Daniel helping along. 

Subhan Bakery - 9 pm

We waited at Subhan Bakery for a while until everyone assembled and then dived right into the first dish of the walk - haleem. We shared the haleem to save up space for the other goodies to follow. Haleem was brilliant, crowd on the road crazy but well, anything for a haleem. 

Haleem at Subhan

We then hopped across the road and headed to the famous Yousufain Dargah where the two Sufi saints Syed Shah Yousufuddin (from Egypt) and Syed Shah Shareefuddin (Palestine) are buried. The two Sufi saints were part of the Mughal army that was trying to break into Golconda and were not able to. One story is that in a storm all the tents are blown away save one tent - and that is the tent where the two saints are praying. Recognising that there was something special about the two, Aurangzeb requests them to somehow get access to Golconda - and well the rest is history. 

Yosufain Dargah

The painting - the two saints and Aurangzeb before them

Their dargah is very popular (Fatima said they were not buried but the Earth swallowed them) - many people visit the dargah from all over. We went in - I saw one painting of the scene where Aurganzeb is requesting the two saints. Fatima also took us to the grave of the famous Urdu poet of the Nizam era - Dagh Dehlvi (1831-1905).

Cute little cafe

Al Hamdulillah Hotel

From the Yousufain dargah we took the roads less travelled by and soon came to a chowk where the crowd picked up and headed off towards Al-hamdulillah Cafe, most famous for years for its many kebabs and biryanis. We split the group and some went to the Al-hamdulillah Hotel while some of us went to the shop opposite which had some delicious shami kebabs and kheema lukmi. 

A sample of the crowd

Off from Al-hamdulillah and we hit the main road which was crowded to the gills with shoppers at that late hour, so much that we had to squeeze by people, bikes, autos and even cars. Ahead I could see the Gol Masjid of Mallepally and knew we were close to the next food spot. The road was full of cloth stores, perfume stores and so on. Fatima took us off the main road into the side lanes and explained how the Mallepalli area came about thanks to the City Improvement Board's master plan post the 1908 flood - each locality was built around a play ground.   

Gol Masjid

Shahi Sheermal at Shan-e- Delhi

At the corner near Gol Masjid we stopped at a Sheermal Naan shop with a difference - some dry fruits etc were added in at Shan-e-Delhi's Shahi Sheermal shop. Some of us bought that stuff. We kept passing more and more shop serving great delicacies - kebabs, biryanis, jalebis, shawarma etc and ended up at Baabji ka Ghota with single minded purpose. There the gentlemen arranged enough chairs and a table for us on the roadside and served Patthar ka Ghost. Daniel went and got some shawarma for tasting.

Baabji ka Ghota

Having thus nibbled at several things by now, we then stopped at Burhanpur jalebi which was a very interesting type of Khowa Jalebi. Last stop for the walk was at Milan Juice Centre where I tried some mosambi juice which apparently is their speciality. Crazy crowds and I do not know how they all do business like this but they are.

Mosambi juice at Milan

Chai and paan at Mayrose Cafe

The walk ended but there was no way we could get out of the place unless we walked back and so we legged it to Subhan Bakery, stopped at the cute Irani Restaurant Mayrose Cafe and had a chai. The last item on the walk as far as I was concerned was a paan and it was made very well which ended the walk.

Chai at 12 am

Thanks Deccan Archives. Lovely experience.